History

The Temple's web site states that it was "founded in 1960 by Juliet Hollister, a housewife who had a peanut butter sandwich lunch with a friend and shared her vision of a world in which the many religious traditions of today would come together in dialogue rather than conflict. Her idea, though simple, was so powerful that humanitarian Dr. Albert Schweitzer in the Congo and former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt soon became her advocates." Its mission - "to promote understanding among the world's religions, to recognize the oneness of the human family and to achieve 'A Spiritual United Nations'" - has since gained wide support amongst religous leaders including Pope John XXIII and the Dalai Lama and other prominent representatives of the Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim and other faiths.[2]

According to the Temple's website, it has recently concentrated on participating in briefings, meetings and conferences at the United Nations and "interfaith education." It is a member of the broad-based Committee of Religious NGOs at the United Nations. [3]

The Temple's work - such as in promoting greater religious community support for the protection of the environment - has been attacked by conservative organisations such as the Environmental Conservation Organization, a "property rights group" from the US that rails against "excessive environmental regulations." [4] Other conservative groups, such as the Catholic Family & Human Rights Institute complained about the promotion of the Earth Charter at a conference organized by the Temple of Understanding. [5] Some conspiracy theorists, who oppose the United Nations for being a part of what they claim is a campaign for "one world government," have also criticised the Temple of Understanding because of its close ties to the UN.[6], [7], [8],[9]

Awards

"In order to honor our founder Juliet Hollister's achievements and to support and affirm those secular and religious people whose life work has helped to create interfaith understanding, the Board of Trustees of the TOU established the Juliet Hollister Award in 1996. Past awardees include such luminaries as Swami Satchidananda, H.H. the XIVth Dalai Lama, Mary Robinson, Maestro Ravi Shankar, and Nelson Mandela." [5]